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Forecasts of winter gloom and doom are upon us, ‘coldest winter in decades as polar air is set to move in our direction’.

One leading weatherman has predicted that winter 2016/17 will be the worst for 50 years for Ireland and the UK, with severe snowfalls lasting well into February. His predictions are based on a phenomenon called Arctic Oscillation which is expected to enter into its negative phase this month (November), potentially causing adverse and extreme weather conditions. Negative Arctic Oscillations have, however, coincided with major weather events before and have shown a heightened chance of extreme weather but no indicator that it will always happen.

Another advises us to expect any early but temporary cold spells in November, changing to unsettled and mild start to December before high pressure settles things down, turning cooler mid month which will set us up for a cold snap with January seeing the greatest risk of colder weather with the fronts coming predominately from the east and north-east. February will see the month on a whole to finish above average in terms of temperatures with above average precipitation. As meteorology technology advances the predictions could be consider more accurate it is still not an exact science so as the old adage says ‘Hope for the best but prepare for the worst’ and this especially true for garden birds.

There are numerous articles that tell you there is no difference in nutrient value between organic home grown fruit and those purchased at the supermarket but even if that were true, and that depends on the research article you are reading, that’s rather missing the point.

The birds are singing, the ground is thawing, and you can’t wait for that first taste of fresh produce from your garden. With spring in the air, it’s a wonderful time to start planting your garden. But what produce should be planted first and second, what will need greenhouse care and what should wait until it can be seeded in the ground in late spring? Let’s talk about early vegetables: